SPRINGFIELD, Missouri – Dr. Linda Wellborn, director of institutional effectiveness and accreditation activities, was recently honored as a “Mighty Mentor” during the 2021 National Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Conference. This designation is awarded to accreditation peer reviewers who serve as team leads and have gone beyond expectations to support, guide, and help team members in the process to become peer reviewers.
The HLC, a regional accreditor for higher education institutions, relies upon the work of peer reviewers for its accrediting activities. Peer reviewers are responsible for assuring that institutions are complying with accreditation criteria as well as helping institutions advance within the context of their own missions. HLC maintains a peer corps of approximately 1,600 faculty and administrators from institutions within a 19-state region.
Experienced peer reviewers are tapped to chair or lead teams who are charged with reviewing an institution during an on-site comprehensive or special review. Chairs are expected to identify newer or inexperienced peer reviewers and ensure they are receiving support and guidance to enable them to develop as peer reviewers and to effectively serve the Commission.
“Dr. Wellborn is known throughout the HLC community as an expert in accreditation processes and a champion of continuous improvement and innovative student learning methods,” said Dr. Michael McCorcle, EU provost and executive vice president. “We are proud that she is a leader among our EU family!”
Wellborn has served at Evangel since 1995, beginning as a faculty member in the Business Department. She has been in her current role since 2009.
She has been a peer reviewer and consultant with HLC since 2001, and has extensive experience working as an educational leadership and institutional effectiveness consultant and educator.
Wellborn holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education from Nova-Southeastern University, a Master of Science in Educational Administration from Missouri State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Education from the University of Akron.
“Attaining and maintaining Evangel accreditation standards is a detailed and complex process that is vital to the university,” said Wellborn. “My focus is on documenting standards, systems, and processes. While it is rewarding to serve in this role, it brings me the most joy to know that I am contributing to students as they work to define and develop their future careers here at EU.”
Evangel has held accreditation with the HLC since 1965.
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Evangel University, with the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS), is a comprehensive Christian university committed to excellence in educating and equipping students to serve the Church and society globally. Evangel and AGTS serve more than 2,200 students from all 50 states and numerous foreign countries, offering 70 undergraduate majors and 19 master and doctoral degrees.